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It's a game for the masses, to be sure, but it offers more than enough the way of career, offline, and online depth to warrant a purchase for the enthusiast fan, for the diehard Thunder lover, and most importantly, for the person who passed up previous console efforts simply because they were not up to par. Of course, if you're not into NASCAR, you'll want to rent this one, for it is a very specific kind of game...but then that's the way it should be.

Fans of NASCAR racing will have little if anything to be disappointed about in this year's offering from EA Sports/EA Tiburon. The game provides all the big tracks, races, drivers, modes, customization, and even online play. Just a few steps short of perfection boys.

What can I say? NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup is one of the best racing games I have ever played. Yes, I am a big NASCAR fan and if you like NASCAR, I definitely recommend the game because you will not be disappointed. If you are not a NASCAR fan then you should at least rent this game, because I think a few hours with it and you will realize that racing three wide at close to 200MPH takes more skill than you would think. Plus, with the road courses and production vehicle races there are more than just left-turn oval tracks to race on. With great graphics, sound effects, voice-acting, replayability, gameplay, and controls, plus decent rock music NASCAR: Chase for the Cup takes the checker flag in 1st place.

Ultimately, no matter which console you own, if you're a NASCAR fan you simply must go out and pick up NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup. It re-creates the NASCAR experience in spectacular fashion, and all of the included modes, series options, and extras provide an excellent amount of value for the cost. Despite the removal of a few features that made NASCAR Thunder 2004 seem so complete, EA Sports has trumped that release by including so many new features in this year's game.

However, for NASCAR lovers and even driving fans who’ve been curious about the sport, Chase for the Cup offers one of the best experiences to grace a console or a monitor. There’s plenty to do in the career mode, and players will truly enjoy the ability to define their game based on their personal driving style. Racers or gamers that love being behind the wheel will love having this title pull into their console garage.

This title allows players to create an avatar and then work their way through the rankings to challenge for one of the big titles in NASCAR. The game looks good, and plays very well. And the vehicles are responsive depending on how you set them up. With the challenge presented, racing fans should get plenty of entertainment value from Chase for the Cup 2005.

I was still surprised this year how much I enjoyed NASCAR, but it still has a target audience that won't change. There are too many other games out there that do a great job of pure street racing to lure that demographic into a NASCAR arena.

Admittedly, I began this review with little interest in the sport of NASCAR racing. But after taking NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup out for a test drive, I found myself surprised at just how much I enjoyed the game. EA has done a remarkable job transforming the franchise into a solid racing experience for even casual race fans.